


find what makes you tic

by 2space_lesbo1



Series: Writing Miles content cause no one else will [12]
Category: Spider-Man (Video Game 2018), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man Miles Morales (Video Game 2020), Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Exhaustion, Gen, More characters to be added, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers, Spoilers for Spider-Man Miles Morales, Tags Are Hard, Torture, Vivisection, heh, how do i still not know how to tag ive been on this website for like 5 years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27551101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2space_lesbo1/pseuds/2space_lesbo1
Summary: Miles doesn't escape Roxxon.
Relationships: Aaron Davis & Miles Morales, Miles Morales & Peter Parker, Miles Morales & Phin Mason, Miles Morales & Rio Morales
Series: Writing Miles content cause no one else will [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1164275
Comments: 23
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i loved this game SO MUCH
> 
> i just wish it was longer. hopefully they'll release free to play dlcs for it. that'd be epic. i just want more of my boy. 
> 
> uh yeah this diverges after miles is captured by roxxon, and i have no idea how long it'll be, but i have a general plan for it. 
> 
> if you like, PLEASE leave a comment. i'd rather get comments than kudos :)

Miles pants heavily as yet another blow lands on him, throwing his head back to try and alieve some of the pain. He can hear Phin begging for the soldiers to stop, but that only seems to egg them on further, hitting him harder and harder each time. He can also feel his body struggling to absorb the electricity being mercilessly battered into him, and his lungs ache, heart throbbing and chest burning. 

He's not entirely sure how long they hit him, but his vision is blurred now, and he's panting heavily, his breathes high pitched wheezes. Someone is in front of him again- he blinks rapidly, and draws in a deep breath to angle his head back, his vision clearing just enough to see Krieger had returned, standing in front of him. The man’s expression is the same as before- like a kid who was just given a new, fancy toy. Miles swallows thickly, hardly able to keep his head up. 

“Wow, you just, you just absorbed… all of that,” Krieger said with fascination, as he pulls the chair from before forward. He leans forward against the back, eyes scanning Miles up and down, and Miles weakly tugs at his restraints, his muscles bunched up and energized, but with no available outlit. The electricity is buzzing around inside of him- in his chest, his stomach, his arms and legs. He needs to let it out…. It was too much to keep in. “Tell me, how does that feel? Can you decide what happens with it? Is it painful?” 

“Can’t you see he's too hurt to talk?!” Phin shouts from across the room, and annoyance finds its way in Krieger’s eyes at her voice. He turns to one of the soldiers, gesturing carelessly at her. 

“Get her out of here. I'll deal with her later,” he ordered, and the soldiers move to do just that. 

Miles’s eyes widen beneath the mask, breath catching. No- if they took Phin, he wouldn't be able to see her- wouldn't be able to take the hits meant for her. He didn't want them to take her. He didn't want her to be taken away. 

He grits his teeth and gathers the electricity into one ball in the center of his stomach, and, with an agonized yell, releases it all. With the last bit of his control, he makes sure to avoid hitting Phin with it. Everyone else in the room, however, is free game. 

The electricity explodes out of him in long, tangling lines, looking almost like a spider’s web, and attaches to the soldiers and Krieger simultaneously. He can hearing shouting, and he can feel the restraints that had held him disappear. He falls to his hands and knees as the sparks fully leaves his body, leaving him heaving for breath. 

“Mi- Spider-man!” Phin is at his side now, her hands on his back, and he looks up at her as she grasps for his arm. He forces himself to his feet as she pulls at him, and he does his best to not lean too much into her, but it was difficult. He was weak, and exhausted. He draws in a deep breath and pulls from her, to stand on his own. “Are you okay?”

He looks around the room, at the soldiers and Krieger on the ground still convulsing with electricity from his blast. He swallows and takes another breath, and nods to her. “Yeah… let's get out of here.” 

They move to the door, and just as it opens, Krieger recovers just enough to shout, “Do not let them get away!” 

Instantly soldiers swarm them, and Miles pushes Phin behind him as he leaps into action, even as his body begs him to stop, to lay down and sleep. He punches and kicks and shocks any soldier that gets too close, and he thinks he's doing pretty good, he thinks they're going to get away- until Rhino stomps into the hallway, locking his eyes on Miles as he knocks one of the remaining soldiers out. 

Miles freezes as his spidey sense screams at him to move, and he does, leaping out of Rhino’s way just before he can get rammed by his horn. He also shoots a web at Phin, yanking her out of the Rhino’s way. The armored man slams into the wall, recovering quickly. 

“Spider is worthy opponent,” Rhino said, cracking his neck, his glowing eyes never leaving Miles as he walks in a curve around them. Phin is watching helplessly beside him, and he can tell she hates that she can't help him in this fight without her own armor. “I would like to give worthy death- but Krieger wants to study.”

“Didn't think you liked listening to anyone,” Miles points out, hopping into the air as the Rhino charges once more. Phin moves now, running for the edge of the hallway the Rhino was not currently gutting out with his metal horn. “Thought you wanted to run free!” 

“Krieger gives me more freedom than Raft would,” Rhino replied, shaking his head as he prepares for another charge. Miles groans, and dodges once more, leaping onto his back, charging his venom shock and slapping his hand on one of the large shoulders. But that's when he remembers Rhino’s armor was designed to resist his venom strike, and curses as the Rhino slams his back- and Miles- into the wall behind him. Miles is crushed, and he loses his grip on the Rhino’s back, hitting the ground heavily. The Rhino isn't done with him, though, and slams into him again, throwing him down on the ground afterwards. He yelps in pain, years gathering in his eyes as a large foot stomps down on top of him, slowly applying pressure. “Not that you will be getting any of that freedom now, spider.” 

“Aleksi!” Miles is just able to hear Krieger shouting on the edge of his hearing, and he drags his forehead across the ground. “I need him alive- not dead. And don’t damage him too much!” 

Rhino grumbles as he removes his foot, and Miles gasps for the breath he hadn't been able to reach. Krieger crouches in front of, his hair standing on end due to Miles’s earlier venom strike. He can see more soldiers in the hallway- but he doesn't see Phin. He groans, rolling onto his back, needing to get up, needing to find her, to rescue her. Krieger tsks above him, “Oh, bud, look at you. That- that blast? That was awesome. I just would rather you didn’t do that to me, you know?” 

Miles doesn't listen to him, allowing the electricity that has built up in his chest to spark out and around him in warning. Krieger lets out a laugh and backs up a pace, his expression still one of unnerving fascination. He looks like he wants to cut into Miles at that moment and pull out whatever was making him “tick”, as he'd said before. 

“I'd also rather we don't need to damage you further- gotta keep the goods undamaged,” Krieger continued as Miles gets shakily onto his feet, leaning heavily against the wall to do so. Rhino snorts, shaking his head side to side, watching him, ready to charge again if he attacks. “Though maybe, you need a different kind of motivation.” He snaps his fingers, and now Miles sees Phin- she is being held by two soldiers, and one puts a blade to her neck. His entire body turns frigid, eyes widening and throat tightening at the sight. 

“Spider-man- don't let this work,” Phin said in warning, even as the blade presses against her skin, just enough to draw blood. Miles watches a drop of blood trail down the side of her neck, a red streak against her skin. He swallows, and lowers his head in defeat. 

“Please, don't hurt her,” he said pleadingly, and Krieger stands up, straightening his suit as he grins in triumph. He’d done it- he won the prize he’d had his eyes set on since he'd walked into a carnival. 

“Wonderful, wonderful,” Krieger said, clapping his hands together and walking closer to Miles. He clasped his hands behind his back before he leans in closer, somehow meeting Miles’s eyes through his mask. He lifts one hand near the spider’s face, letting it hover there. “Now, what do you say we take that off? Get to know one another? So we can really get to work.” 

Miles bites his lip, and his instinct is to shock the hand that was too close to his face, to his mask. Peter’s teachings echo in his ears, “Always wear the mask. Never take it off”, but then his eyes land on Phin, who is watching with wide eyes, who is slowly shaking her head only for the soldiers to tighten their grip until she gasps in pain, and he knows what he has to do. 

Sorry Pete. Sorry Mamí, he thought quietly, hoping that somehow his thoughts reached them. 

Krieger slowly reaches forward, and hooks his fingers underneath the area his mask begins, a large grin breaking out across his face as he peels the mask from his face. Miles keeps his eyes screwed shut, face angled down towards the floor. The man in front of him laughs loudly, making him flinch as a hand pats his shoulder. He has to fight the instinct to shock the intruding hand- he doesn't want to be touched, to be looked at. His guilt and shame is twisting in his gut, making him want to vomit. 

“Well, would you look at that,” Krieger said pleasantly. He is intrigued, eyes sparkling with childish fascination. “Rio Morales’s own son. Tell me, Miles,” he wets his lips, getting even further into Miles’s space, and he flinched again, swallowing heavily. “Does she know? Or is this a little secret of yours?” 

Miles doesn't answer, keeping his eyes shut. He'd failed Peter. His mom. His dad. He took the mask off and now, he wouldn't be able to keep the city safe from the very man who is his captor. 

“Now then!” Krieger exclaimed, finally drawing out of his space, and Miles draws a deep breath in, wincing as the man claps loudly. “I think it's time we have you seperated, so we can properly begin both tasks.” 

“No!” Miles shouted before he could stop himself, unable to keep his desperation at bay. His eyes fly wildly towards Phin, and their eyes meet. She is frowning deeply, sorrow written all over her features. Krieger pauses, slowly to look at him, and he shakes his head, taking a shaking step forward. “Don't take her away.”

Krieger hums like he was thinking, and Phin’s frown deepens. She doesn't like being in this situation just as much as Miles didn’t. “And why shouldn't I? I'm trying to do two very separate things with the both of you, so I think it'd be more beneficial for you to be- ya know, separate,” Krieger explainned to Miles, like he were a dumb child. Miles grits his teeth at the tone, narrowing his eyes into a glare, his bioelectricity fizzing in the air around him. Krieger takes notice of this and grins, and, stupidly enough, pokes a finger in the general area of the sparks, quickly yanking his hand back with a bark of laughter when he is shocked. “Wow- that is so, so awesome. Do you even realize you're doing it?” 

“Take her away and I'll fight,” Miles snapped, narrowed eyes darting to Rhino. Rhino seems pleased at the idea of fighting him again, and shifts on his feet, snorting like an actual rhino. “I won't- I won’t go down easy.” 

“You do realize that I'm the one in control here?” Krieger asked with a chuckle, finding amusement in Miles’s powerlessness. He is wringing the spider suit’s mask in his hands, and Miles almost flinches at how he was handling it. “You can hardly even stand on your own!” 

“I don't care,” Miles said, his voice low, almost a growl. Krieger raises an eyebrow at him, but takes a step back, waving at the Rhino, before pointing a finger of warning at him. Miles drops low to prepare himself. 

“Fine, fine, I'll let you tucker yourself out. Take her to another cell- I'll be there shortly. I just want to watch this first,” Krieger ordered, and instantly the Rhino charges at him. 

Miles leaps out of the way, feeling naked without his mask, but knowing he can't lose this fight either. He sprays two webs at both of the soldiers holding Phin, keeping them in place, and lands upside down on the wall, shutting his eyes and willing his body to vanish. The Rhino looks around wildly while Krieger claps his hands, watching the fight with wild amusement. Phin is now fist fighting with the soldiers trying to grab her, dodging their hands in their attempts. 

He lands on Rhino’s back again, this time using his webs to steer him like he had when Peter was still around. He tugs and pulls until Rhino runs directly into a wall, and then leaps up at his chest, grabbing onto the Roxxon tech and yanking at it, successfully prying it free. Then, he charges a single hand with all of the bioelectricity left in his body, and punches Rhino with all of his remaining strength. Both the bioelectricity as well as his strength drains from him, and he's left feeling like jello. 

The Rhino lets out a loud bellow as his body is filled with tons of electricity, leaving his suit sparking and the rest of him convulsing. Miles lands on his feet, but nearly falls over, and hardly even registers his spidey sense yelling at him before a pair of hands grabs his underarms. He attempts to pull away- but his exhausted body doesn't respond to his commands, and so all he can manage are half hearted struggles. 

“Wow, that was, an impressive fight!” Krieger exclaimed, and Miles catches him walking towards him, glancing momentarily at the downed Rhino. “You even beat my newest muscle! Very impressive, Miles. Very impressive.”

Miles’s chin falls against his chest, his breathing ragged. Phin wasn't in the room any longer. They must have grabbed her while he was fighting Rhino. He needs to find her. He tugs weakly at his arms, but the soldiers tighten their grips bruisingly and he stops. A hand catches his chin then, tilting it backwards so he was forced to meet Krieger’s gaze. 

“You're going to be so much fun, Mr. Morales,” he said, his voice low with dangerous fascination. Miles puts on the best scowl he could manage at the moment- which he sure wasn't very impressive- and Krieger merely chuckles at him. “Can't wait to see what makes you tick, kid… take him to a new holding cell. Only give him water. I want to see how his metabolism works.” Then he gestured at Rhino. “And get someone to clean up this mess. Fix the armor.” He winks at Miles as he's dragged away, too tired to even put up anymore of a fight, “See you later, kid!” 

Miles is too exhausted at this point. He passes out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heehee hoohoo
> 
> as long as i'm motivated to write this the chapters will come out quickly like this KAKEKQLQLW
> 
> my fingers are like "you wanna see some really speed?" and write 4,000 word long chapters

The cell he wakes up in is much larger than the last one, and he's not restrained to a chair this time. He groans, rolling onto his side despite his aching muscles protesting his every move. He squints his eyes, and starts when he doesn't feel his mask in place. His hand flies up to his face instinctively, and he looks around wildly for it. 

But then someone clears their throat and he jumps, turning invisible as he lands on the ceiling upside down. He breathes rapidly, heart racing in his chest. He doesn't see anyone, and now they shouldn't be able to see him-

A yellow light pulses through the room, and he's knocked off of the ceiling, his body turning visible once more as the light burns across his skin. He yelps at the feeling, and hits the ground with a thud as he lands back first. 

“Glad to see you're awake, Mr. Morales!” Krieger’s voice fills the room, but Miles cant see him, and he leaps onto his feet, dropping into the fighting stance Peter had taught him. “I was just getting worried for your health. Can't have the only Spider-Man I have dying on me, now can I? 

Then Miles remembers the previous events, and he shouts, “Where's Phin?!” His voice came out stronger than he'd expected- hoping to hide the fact that he still felt weak and lethargic. He also doesn't like whatever forced him to turn visible again, either… 

“Oh, you needn't worry about Ms. Mason, bud,” Krieger said, his voice still that irritatingly friendly tone. “I'd worry more about yourself. We are starting our tests now, after all!” 

Miles’s eyebrows scrunch together at that. “Tests? What tests-”

He's interrupted when the floor disappears from  
under his feet, and he's left falling through the air. He acts quickly and instinctively, throwing a hand up and shooting a web at the nearest wall. He lands on all fours, fingers and toes instantly sticking to the surface. The wall is suddenly covered in voltage, and he yells out as the electricity envelopes his body. He's sent flying back through the air from the sudden pain, and lands on the floor that seems to have returned. 

He pants, the areas his body had been connected to the wall burning. He can already feel some of the electricity sinking into his veins, thrumming through his blood. 

But, he doesn't have much time to recover, as his spidey sense screams to life. He leaps into the air just as something flies past him, hitting the wall instead of him. He lands once more on all fours on the wall, chest heaving. This was too much at once. 

“Wow!” Krieger said excitedly. “Lots of new info here- tell me, bud, do you produce your own, organic webs? And your reaction time- amazing!” 

Miles doesn't listen, as more electricity is forced into his body through the wall. He doesn't leap from it instinctively this time, however, and instead focuses on draining the source of its power. The voltages rush into his body- all crazy and unpredictable power. His body buzzes with the energy, and he crawls back down to the floor as he is surrounded by orange sparks. 

“What a light show!” Krieger exclaimed, his voice blaring and making Miles flinch. Without his mask, his smell, audio and sensory inputs were higher, making it difficult to control. Peter taught him to deal with the higher inputs near the beginning of their training, but Miles still sometimes finds it difficult to control. He bites his lips, shaking his hands to let some of the sparks free of his skin. “I have got to find out where you store all of that- hey, remind me to set up a date for dissection.” 

Miles knows Krieger had said it to where he could hear, knows the businessman wants him to panic. But hearing that still makes his body go rigid, eyes widening and stomach flipping. He puts his face in his hands, screwing his eyes shut tightly and gripping tightly at his hair. “Hey, don't worry about it, bud!” Krieger said. Miles can hear the sickening amusement in his voice. “We won't kill you in the process- yet.” 

“You must be sick to have fun torturing a child,” Miles snapped, because that's the truth. He was still only seventeen- which made him a legal minor. “Must make you feel so high and mighty.”

Krieger laughs, causing Miles to glare in the direction of his voice. “I wouldn't call this torture, Mr. Morales. More of… scientific tests to learn how you, a metahuman, works,” the man said helpfully. “Which, by the way, do you know how you got these powers? Were you born with them?”

“Got bit by a spider,” Miles mumbled, using this time to search for an escape. He finds the door and walks towards it, only for the ground to fall beneath his feet again. He yelps, and once more uses his webs to get to safety, this time going to the ceiling. He checks his web canisters, cursing silently to find them low. Krieger laughs loudly. 

Time passes by like that. Random things get thrown at him, or he gets electrocuted, the floor sometimes disappears, and he's left reeling from all of it. He's starving, but he's only given water to drink, with nothing to eat. He's not sure how much time passes, but he is starting to get weak with hunger. Normally, he has to eat at least twice as much food than a regular person because of his heightened metabolism, so to have nothing to eat for what must be days causes his body to become jittery and unbalanced. 

He becomes much slower and weaker because of this, and he assumes Krieger takes notice. Not that it matters. 

He's become so slow that he can't even dodge whatever is shot at him when his spidey sense goes off, eyelids too heavy and body too heavy. Something sticks him in the back of his arm, and he shouts, pain filling his senses. He can feel warm, sticky blood gathering beneath his suit, and he twists to grab at the wound. 

The door opens a moment later, and a handful of guards rush in. They grab him roughly, causing him to yelp in pain when they grip his wound. His vision goes in and out- due to a mixture of hunger and pain- and pretty soon he's getting strapped to a table, a bright light above him blinding him further. More hands are roughly messing with his wound, and he tugs weakly at the restraints. 

The next moment, he's sitting up in a chair, eyes slowly opening again. There are people gathered around him, his suit lifted to reveal his stomach- why are they messing with his stomach? His wound is in his arm. He blinks sluggishly, looking to the side to find multiple wires and tubes connected to both of his arms, pumping all kinds of fluids into his bloodstream. 

He then notices Krieger is in front of him, standing with his arms crossed over his chest as he watches what is happening to Miles. He realizes the teen was awake a second later, and he smirks. 

“Gave us quite a scare there, Mr. Morales,” he said, his words slurring together and far away. Miles blinks slowly, head lolling side to side. “But don't worry. Wouldn't let my merchandise die on me.” 

The world blurs together in colors and darkness and the next thing Miles knows, he's reawakening in the cell from before. He's sprawled across the ground, groaning as the world comes back to him. He pushes himself onto his knees, shaking his head. 

“Welcome back to land of the living, Mr. Morales!” Krieger’s voice booms around him, causing his head to split with pain. He rubs a hand down his face, sitting back to try and gather himself. “You will shortly be given your first meal of the day! You'll be given four meals per day with what we believe to be enough calories to keep your body going, so we'd appreciate it if you ate it.” 

Miles swallows heavily, shaking his head as a slot in the door opens and a tray of food is pushed through. On top of it is a large piece of steaming meat- looks to be an entire chicken- two cups of water and an apple. His mouth waters as soon as he's able to smell the chicken, and he slowly makes his way towards it, sitting down to eat it at an even pace. He's always read to never eat fast or too much after a long period of time. It was bad for your body. 

The door opens a moment later, and Miles instantly leaps up and away, to the other side of the room, abandoning his meal. Krieger strides in with a soldier flanking both sides, his hands clasped behind his back. 

Miles says nothing, but he pants heavily, keeping his eyes on Krieger as the man claps his hands in front of himself. “Heya, bud! I think we need to talk about some things,” he said as though this were a meeting between friends and not a captor speaking to his captive. 

“And what would that be? My next form of torture?” Miles snapped, forcing his voice to work. He didn't like not being able to do anything- but at least he could still talk, still give our verbal jabs. It was the last bit of control he still had. 

Krieger laughs and waves a dismissive hand through the air. “No, no, of course not! You're still too weak to begin our next trials,” he said with a sickening grin, stepping closer to the spider. “No, I was wanting to discuss your friend. The other Spider-Man.” 

Instantly, Miles’s eyes widen and he grows sick to his stomach. He should have known Krieger would eventually bring Peter into the equation- he probably couldn't keep the businessman entertained forever. But the thought of Peter being here, seeing him in such a weak and pathetic position- it made him dizzy with shame. Especially at the thought of the other Spider-Man being forced through these exact same torturous “tests”. 

Not that Peter would have allowed himself to be captured like this. He never would have been put in this position- never would have failed as horribly as Miles has. 

“I'm not saying anything,” Miles growled, narrowing his eyes and stepping further back from his captor. His back hits the wall, and so he sticks to it, climbing towards the ceiling to stay away from Krieger. “I am never giving his identity up.”

“Well! That's the thing! I never asked for his identity!” Krieger exclaimed pointedly, watching Miles crawl up the side of the wall. “I was just wondering if there was any way you could… you know. Get him to come here. That's all.”

He can't stop the laugh that builds in his chest, staring in disbelief at Krieger. “You really think I would do that? You're dumber than I thought you were,” he said, his voice a low hiss. Krieger’s dye twitches at the insult, and he waves a hand at one of the soldiers. The soldier presses a button on his arm, and the yellow light from before pulses across the room from his glove, knocking into Miles with the same force as before. He yelps as the same pain rips through his body and forces him from the wall, causing him to land heavily on the floor with a loud thud. 

Krieger crouches in front of him and roughly grabs his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “You will do it if you know what's good for you!” he snarled, and his calm and composed mask has slipped from his face, revealing the vile creature always lurking beneath his skin. He seems to catch himself a second later, because he smiles pleasantly. “Or, if you know what's good for her.” 

The door opens once more and Phin is dragged in by a pair of soldiers, her face twisted in anger as she pulls and fights with them. The soldiers struggle to keep a hold on her, and Miles almost doesn't see how bruised and injured she is. Her face is covered in scrapes and dark, bruised skin, her hands not even spared from the minor injuries. His stomach twists at the sight, and his eyes dart from Krieger to Phin again. 

Phin spots Miles then, her eyes wide with fear and concern. His expression is probably a mirror of her own. “Miles!” she exclaimed breathlessly, halting in her struggles momentarily. 

Krieger stands back to his full height and clasps his hands in front of himself, looking between the two teenagers with glee in his eyes. “Now then! Here's what we're gonna do,” he began, seeing that he has both of their attentions. “Because she hasn't told me the whereabouts of my Nuform,” he points at Phin, before dramatically moving his body to point at Miles, “We're going to use you to get her to. And because I want the other Spider-Man, and he won't tell me where he is,” he twists to point at Phin again, “We’re going to use you to get him to.” 

Phin’s expression twists into a snarl, and Miles pushes to his own feet, ready to leap into action. But before he could, one of the soldiers that had entered with Krieger tackled him to the ground, the other rushing over to slap a pair of cuffs around his wrists. He struggles beneath them, kicking his feet and gnashing his teeth as they push his head against the ground roughly. They then grab the back of his suit and force him to his feet, one of them pressing a button on his shackles. The next second, his body feels drained of all energy and strength, and he nearly sags back to the floor if they hadn't kept a hold on him. 

He looks back to Phin as they cuff her as well, and a chair shoots up from the floor. They force her into it, connecting her cuffs to both arm rests. She pulls at them, but they hold fast, and her gaze darts backup to Miles as they force him to his knees. 

“Alright,” Krieger said, still as pleasant as ever. He's looking at Phin, and Miles could see the anger in his eyes. He must be pissed at her, ready to snap at her at any second. Miles almost allows himself to wonder what they've done to her the past few days, but he forces himself not to. That train of thought would only be disastrous. Krieger leans in close to Phin’s personal space, impatient. “I'm going to ask you again, Ms. Mason. Where did you hide my Nuform?”

Phin swallows as she looks at Miles again, her light eyes panicked. Neither of them know what they would do to him if she didn't answer, but he shakes his head anyway, silently pleading with her not to say anything. She gives him a barely there nod, and wets her lips, expression hardening to one of determination. 

“Go to hell,” she hissed, spitting in his face. His head darts back, expression twisted in disgust as he reaches up and uses a hand to wipe it away. He looks back at the soldiers holding Miles, and one of them grabs the wrist of his damaged arm- the wound was still healing. It was nearly closed because of his enhanced healing, but it still hurt like hell- and twists it painfully. He can't stop himself screaming in pain as the wound is pulled at, reopening it and causing it to bleed again. Phin gasps as she watches this, her eyebrows pinching together as Miles pants heavily. She opens her mouth, and he catches her eye, shaking his head again. She swallows and forced herself to look away. “Go to hell.” She repeated. 

The other soldier presses some kind of rod to the back of Miles’s, and he is shocked so badly even his body can’t absorb all of it. He grunts this time, eyes watering as the first soldier keeps his arm twisted backwards, and the second keeps the rod in place. His body trembles, the blood from his wound streaming down his arm beneath the suit. 

“Come on, Ms. Mason,” Krieger pressed, placing his hands on either arm rest to loom over her. She turns her head to the side, breathing heavily through her nose. “Just tell me, or we will beat him to the edge of death.” 

“But you can't kill him,” Phin said flatly. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself of this fact. But Miles knew they couldn't, either. Krieger was too fascinated with his biology, and he has no other way to contact the other Spider-Man. He grits his teeth and gasps when the rod is pulled from his neck, alleviating some of the pain. The other soldier doesn't release his arm, however. “You don't want to lose such a valuable item.” 

Krieger chuckles, but doesn't get out of Phin’s space. Miles wants to do nothing more than to leap forward and fill the businessman for making her uncomfortable, for causing her all of the pain she's going through. But he can't even move, and his arms are held behind his back uncomfortably. 

“You're right about that, babe,” he said, and Miles wants to throw up. How dare he call her that. It was disgusting. “But I can have him beat until he wishes he were dead. You don't want that, do you?” 

Miles wets his lips, afraid that she was going to break as she turned her face to meet Krieger’s gaze. But as soon as he sees her face, he nearly kicks himself for having such little faith in her. Her expression was hard, and her eyes were steel. “As long as I know he's alive, I don't have to worry,” she hissed. “He's stronger than you could imagine, and I know he’ll pull through whatever you do to him.” 

Krieger’s eyes twitches and he yanks himself away from her, almost as if she'd physically hit him. His mask has slipped away again, his expression one of pure disgust and hatred as he stared down at her. His hands are clenched at his sides, and he actually ends up punching her cheek. Miles growls and tugs at his arms, but one of the soldiers hits the back of his head, causing his vision to blur. It's clear enough, however, for him to watch Phin spit blood in Krieger’s face, right between his eyes. She seems to know just how to piss him off. 

He turns on his heels to face Miles, wiping the blood and spit from his face as Miles stiffens to be his focus again. He strides closer to the Spider-Man and crouches beside him, waving at the soldier who quickly releases his arm. He gasps in relief, though that is short lived as the soldiers near Phin get closer to her, one grabbing a fistful of her hair, and the other holding a knife just above her hand. His eyes widen, and Phin meets his eyes, giving the same shake of her head as he'd given her earlier. 

“Now, Mr. Morales,” Krieger said, balancing on the balls of his feet. “Because Ms. Mason has been so, what's the word, uncooperative, I'm in a lot less of a good mood. Tell me where the other Spider-Man is, or she is losing a finger every time you do not answer me.” 

Vomit gathers in the back of Miles’s throat, and he can see his horror mirrored on Phin’s face. She begins to struggle anew, but the soldier holding her hair yanks her head back, and she breathes with panic as the knife presses into her index finger. Miles can feel his own panic surging in his gut as the knife presses into her finger, blood gathering beneath the blade, and he knows he can't hold off. He can't let them do this to her. He can't watch it happen and do nothing when he knows he can do something. 

“Wait, stop!” Miles shouted, just before the soldier was able to apply any more pressure to her finger. Everyone freezes, and Phin is able to just meet his eyes, her throat quivering as she swallows shakily. “I- I can contact the other Spider-Man. With my mask. Just give it to me and I'll do it.” 

Krieger grins at him, his mask sliding back into place as he finally gets something he wants. He straightens back up, fixing his suit as he strides across the room. “Someone get me his mask,” he ordered the soldiers, and the two that had entered with him exit the room. Miles slumps forward, heart racing painfully in his chest. Maybe he could make this work, maybe he could tell Peter that he needed help- “Oh, and bud, if you even think about telling the other Spider-Man our current situation, Ms. Mason loses a hand.” 

Miles’s hopes plummet, and he lets his head fall forward, chin hitting his chest. “You piece of shit!” Phin yelled, and Krieger merely chuckles. 

“Call me as you please, Ms. Mason. I always get what I want.” he stated confidently, giving her a pointed look. She pulls her head away from the soldier’s hand as soon as her hair is released, and flexes her fingers when the knife is pulled away. 

Miles stays silent, desperately going through the scenarios in his mind. Then, he remembers something. A far away memory that had been in the back of his mind, from when he'd first started training with Peter. “If you're ever captured, the safe phrase is ‘spider’s web’. I'll know then that you’re being held hostage.” 

Relief washes over him, but he keeps his expression blank, not wanting Krieger to get even a hint that he's thought of some way to get them out of this. He looks up when the door reopens and the soldiers return, one of them holding his mask unceremoniously. 

“Alright, how do we get it to work?” Krieger asks Miles, and he holds his bound hands up in front of him. 

“I'm going to need my hands for this,” he explained, and wets his lips when Krieger opens his mouth to no doubt deny him this freedom, “I won't do anything. I know the consequences.” 

Krieger must like this admission, because he nods to the soldiers, and they move forward, removing the cuffs from his wrists. He twists his hands for a moment before he grabs his mask, not realizing how much he'd missed it until he slips it over his face. The familiar hug of fabric rubbing across his face is comforting, and he shuts his eyes for a second to imagine he wasn't here and was actually somewhere safe. Then, he does what he has to to keep Phin safe. 

The box with Spider-Man’s contact image pops up before his eyes, and it rings for a few seconds. Miles nearly panics when his mentor doesn't instantly pick up, afraid that if he didn't, Krieger would grow angry and keep his promise of slicing Phin’s fingers off. 

But, a second later and Peter picks up the phone. He nearly lets a breath of relief out, but holds it in. He can't reveal how stressed he is without risking Phin’s entire hand. He has to stay calm and collected. This was just another call to his mentor. 

“Hey, Miles!” Peter said in greeting, as happy as he always was. “Weird that you're calling me with this phone. I almost didn't hear it ringing.” He laughs good naturedly, but Miles can hear that he was already unsure of the call. His mentor was so smart. Because when they weren't working on a mission together, MIles always called using his regular phone number. 

Miles swallows and his eyes drift towards Phin, who is listening with bated breath. He clears his throat, and does his best to keep his voice even as he says, “Hey, Spider-Man!” he knows Peter would notice the oddness of him calling him by their shared hero name. Miles always called him Pete or Peter. Miles was counting on the strangeness of this conversation to signal Peter that he needed help. “Know how I said I had things handled the other day?” he sees Krieger tense and raise a hand, ready to order Phin’s hand to be cut off. He quickly adds on, “Well I was wrong. I've been working with Roxxon, but we've found ourselves in the spider’s nest.” He puts emphasis on the last two words, and he can hear Peter’s breath catch. “We could really use your help. Think you could swing over to Roxxon Plaza for me?” Krieger lowers his hand, and he nearly releases a breath of relief. 

He can hear Peter moving on the other side, like he was dropping everything. “Yeah, yeah of course, Miles,” Peter said quickly. “You alright?” 

“Yeah of course I'm alright,” Miles lied through his teeth, and Krieger smirks, believing he's won another prize in the form of another Spider-Man. He can't wait to see his face when Peter gets there to kick his ass. “Just a bit tied up right now. If you get here soon- Mr. Krieger would love to work with you.”

He knows Peter can hear the unspoken message; Miles was being held captive by Simon Krieger at Roxxon Plaza. “Sorry to drag you out again,” he said despite himself, still feeling ashamed of himself for getting captured and needing Peter to rescue him. After Peter had entrusted the city to him, too. Peter was never going to trust him again after this. 

“Never apologize for needing my help, Miles,” Peter told him, and Miles could hear the slightest quivering in his tone. He was afraid. Afraid for Miles, because he'd messed up and gotten himself captured like an idiot. His eyes dart up when he sees Krieger moving his hands in a “finish things up” motion, and he bites his lip, not wanting to disconnect from Peter. “I'll be there on the next flight. Don't worry, kid.”

Miles draws a deep breath through his nose to steel himself. “Yeah, that's good to hear,” he replied. “But I think I've got to go now. Sorry to call and run so quickly.” 

“Are you sure you have to go?” Peter asked, his voice raising with panic. He didn't want the call to end, either. 

“Yeah,” Miles said, his voice small and quiet. “Bye, Spider-Man.” 

“I'll be there soon, Miles. Hang on.” And with that, Miles disconnects the call. As soon as he does, one of the soldiers is ripping the mask from him once more. He flails for it, but stops when Krieger gives him a critical side eye. 

“Wonderful job, Mr. Morales!” Krieger exclaimed joyously. He takes the mask from the soldier who'd stolen it from Miles, studying the mask’s eyes as though he'd never seen them before. “I cannot wait for our friend to get here!” He turns to the guards standing by Phin, and waves a dismissive hand at them. “Take her back to her cell. She's done in here.” 

And just like that, Phin is being taken away again. He's just thankful he got to see her again- even if it hadn't been for long, and not under the best of circumstances. Phin doesn't look away from Miles until she is fully dragged from the room, and the door seals shut in her face. Miles looks down at the floor, flexing his fingers as his bioelectricity begins to build up within him again. Not that he'd be able to use any of it. 

“You have been a great subject for me, bud,” Krieger said, drawing Miles’s attention from his hands and up to his face. Miles grimaces at him, and the electricity that had been gathering in his gut dances around him. The business man watches with awe, and Miles wants to disappear. Which, he could, but not for long, because of the technology they have that forces him to become visible again. And that never felt good. “Tell me: what are your favorite foods? The least I could do is feed you things you like.” 

Miles doesn't answer him, instead pushing to his feet, leaping onto the ceiling to show he was done talking. Thankfully, Krieger seems to understand, and allows his aloofness, merely chuckling at his show of disobedience, leaving the room with the soldiers. 

Miles stays on the ceiling for a while, drawing lines in the air with his electric venom. He can only hope Peter will get here soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :0


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tws for: referenced non-consensual drug usage, as well as referenced non-consensual experimentation. 
> 
> ✋😗

He's not sure how long it's been after he called Peter, but he's pretty sure it's at least two days. Which made sense- Pete would have to get on an airplane ride that would take that amount of time in regular flights. But a lot happens during that time. 

Krieger has taken to… drugging him and doing something to him while he was unconscious. He had no idea what, but from the rows of stitching left on various parts of his body, he thinks it's safe to say he doesn't want to know. Krieger had said he was going to find out what made him tic, after all. And what better way to do that than cut him open and observe his innards, that must have some kind of change to them since he'd been bitten. 

He groans, the areas that were stitched up stinging and aching. He's sat on the floor, leaning back against one of the walls, eyelids heavy with his exhaustion. He wasn't entirely sure how much longer he would be able to hold out like this- being kept and treated like a lab rat, locked in his cage until Krieger wanted to watch him run through a wooden maze. He was also worried about Phin- he hasn't seen her since he'd called Pete, and he was afraid of what they were doing to her. Has she broken? Finally told them where the Nuform was? 

He scoffs at his own thoughts. As if she'd break. Phin has always been a tough girl. They probably wouldn't be getting anything out of her, even if they threatened to beat Miles again. Like she'd said, as long as she knew Miles wasn't going to be killed, she wouldn't say anything. It made him happy to know she has such faith in his healing capabilities- he'd only freaked out so much when they threatened her because she didn't have the same powers and abilities that he has. He could possibly grow a finger back if it was cut off(not even Peter knows if that would happen. Neither of them were eager to test it out) but she most definitely would not, and Miles couldn't live with knowing he'd been the reason she lost a finger, or an entire hand. 

He looks up when the door slides open, and Krieger strides in. Two soldiers follow, and walk to either side of the cell, keeping their guns in hand, but lowered towards the floor. Miles pushes to his feet, keeping his chin raised. He still refused to show any submission to his captor, even if he couldn't do anything to get out of the situation. 

“So, Miles,” Krieger said, saying his name so casually, and Miles still wasn't used to it. He doesn't think he'd ever be. “It's been… three days since you called the other Spider-Man? So… where is he?” 

Miles nearly rolls his eyes at how impatient this man was. He reminds Miles more and more of an overgrown child. An overgrown child with too much money and too much power, but an overgrown child nonetheless. 

“He’ll be here when he's here, Krieger,” Miles all but spat out, crossing his arms over his chest. “Sorry if it's not a part of your schedule.” 

“Oh, yes, you really should be sorry, bud,” Krieger said, taking a step closer to the teen. He looms over Miles, and he glared up at the taller man. “Because if he doesn't get here soon- Phin will be facing the consequences.” 

Miles’s eyes widen and his mouth drops open. “What- but, it's not her fault he's not here yet!” he protested, wanting to do nothing more than punch Krieger in his smug, ugly face. But he holds himself back- if Phin was going to be punished for something Peter was causing, he didn't want to possibly add to her torture by lashing out at him. “Give me the punishment, not her.”

Krieger merely chuckles at Miles’s words and shakes his head. “See, you still don't get it, even after being here for some time,” he said. “It doesn't hurt you as much unless I hurt her… Besides, I think your body is a bit too fragile for what we have in mind for her, right now. I do believe we cut it open one too many times.” Miles swallows at this, the places he'd been cut open reminding him of their presence by stinging painfully. His hand instinctively flies to where some bandages were covering up a pretty large stitched area, and Krieger doesn't miss this action, grinning darkly at him. “Wouldn't want you falling apart yet, now would we?” 

Miles wets his lips nervously and finally breaks eye contact with Krieger, making the man laugh with amusement. “So don't you worry, bud,” he said, patting one of Miles’s shoulders roughly. He flinches at the handling, and bites down on his tongue to keep himself from saying something unsavory. “You have the next few days off. Great, huh? We’ll really get to see that enhanced healing working now!” 

He doesn't respond, and Krieger doesn't say anything more, once more leaving him with his own thoughts. 

He was pretty sure he was going to go inside in this large, empty room. He screws his eyes shut tightly and lays across the floor, trying to shift his body into a position that didn't irritate any of the various wounds scattered across his skin. 

For now, he will rest. Let his wounds heal. He’d be needing all of the strength energy he could muster for whenever Pete got there. He would not be a lame leg in their escape, and he would not slow his mentor down, making the risk of his capture too high. 

He sighs heavily, and creates just enough sparks with his venom to draw lines with it in the air. At least he could still do that. 

He's not sure when he fell asleep, or for how long he was asleep, but the next time he awakens, it's to loud, blaring alarms. He quickly sits up, eyes darting to one of the alarms inside of his room, and leaps to his feet, making his way to the door. That has to be Pete. His mentor was here to save him! He could have cried with joy at the thought. 

When the door opens, he is prepared to see his mentor in full spider suit. Instead, he's met with a group of Roxxon soldiers. He curses mentally and moves to jump away from them, but is too slow, and two of them catch him. One grabs his wrist, and the other his shoulder, yanking him back and into their clutches. 

No, he was tired of being restrained. He was tired of being forced to do things he didn't want to do. 

He yells in frustration as his hands are yanked behind his back, knowing already they are about to cuff his wrists. He grinds his teeth, his bioelectricity gathering in his chest, and suddenly, it's too much in his body, and he needs it out. 

His venom explodes around him, hitting every single one of the guards that had been attempting to restrain him. He gasps as the energy leaves his body in burning pain, and he lands on his hands and knees, heaving for breath. He felt sick to his stomach, and his throat ached, but he knew he needed to move. This was his first, conscious time out of the room since before he'd been captured, and he was not letting this opportunity slip out of his fingertips. 

He turns himself invisible, just in case, and makes his way to the ceiling, to avoid any soldiers that may run down the hall. He has no idea what part of the building he was currently in, but he knew he needed to move. So, going as fast as his battered body would allow, he begins to crawl across the ceiling, listening to the alarms blare around him. 

He needs to find Phin. She couldn't be too far from his cell, right? But as he continued down the hall, he found no other doors. Just a long, empty walkway with windowless and doorless walls. It seems as if his cell was the only one down this way, then. Probably to keep him further from the exit in situations like these. 

He eventually comes up to a door at the far end of the hall, and he leaps back to the floor. He moves to open it, but his spidey sense comes to life, and he flattens his back against the wall as the doors slide open. Another group of soldiers rush in, shouting to one another as they make their way towards his cell. He swallows, and is going to walk through the door himself, when an achingly familiar blue and red blur zooms through the air past him. 

Miles perks up, looking back to the group just in time to see Pete fly through the soldiers like they were nothing, punching and kicking as though he hadn't been on a week long break. Once the soldiers are taken care of, he's turning to continue to Miles’s cell, and that's when Miles finally finds his voice. 

“Pete!” he exclaimed with complete and utter relief, his voice shaking far more than he would have liked. He didn't want to sound like a scared child searching for any form of familiarity and comfort, but that's what he basically is in the moment. Peter’s masked eyes dart to where his voice was, and Miles almost forgets he was currently camouflage. He quickly turns himself visible again, moving closer to Peter as the other Spider-Man registers everything happening. “I didn't know if you were coming-”

“Miles!” Peter shouted, sounding just as relieved as Miles felt. He runs to Miles and instantly pulls him into an embrace which- wow, Miles hadn't been expecting that. Sure he and Pete were close, and had hugged once or twice before, it wasn't a completely common thing that occured. Not that he was complaining, of course. He nearly sobs as he returns Peter’s hug, burying his face into his mentor’s chest. He hadn't even realized how much he'd missed his mentor until this very moment, having him directly in front of him again. “Thank god you're safe, kid.” Peter pulls away from the hug, holding Miles at arm’s length, looking the smaller spider up and down critically. He frowns. “Where's your mask?” 

That's the straw that breaks the mule. Miles can't stop the sobbing from escaping his mouth now, and he clenched his hands into fists, tears sliding out of the corners of his eyes like waterfalls. Everything he’d been holding back since being captured made itself known now as he cried shakily, yet still trying to keep it quiet. “I'm- I'm sorry, Pete,” he cried, sniffling softly. “I- I didn't want to take it off, r- really. But then he- he threatened Phin, and- and I couldn't let him kill her- I'm sorry- I failed y-” 

Peter’s eyes widen noticeably with panic and he hugs Miles tightly once more, pressing him close against his chest. “Hey hey, no, no,” he said quickly, and Miles could hear the worry in his voice. Worry for Miles, and for the fact that more soldiers could walk into this hall at any moment. Wow, there Miles went, making him slow- “You didn't fail me. Don't think for a second you did.” He gives Miles another squeeze, before pulling away once more, eyes roaming him up and down one more time. He must not like what he sees, because his mask eyes squint, before he steels himself. “We’ll talk more later, after we get you out of here. Can you walk?” 

Miles nods, and when Peter turns to leave the hall again, he quickly catches his wrist. “My friend is here, too, Pete. We can't leave her,” he said quickly, and Peter draws in a deep breath but nods anyway. 

“Prowler, can you find his friend?” Peter said so suddenly and so unexpectedly Miles’s jaw drops open. 

“Y- you're working with the Prowler?” he stammered. 

“Yup. Apparently he was worried about you, too. Promised he was in this just to help you,” Peter replied, and turns once more. Miles doesn't say anything else and follows behind him as best he could. 

As soon as they are out of the hall, Peter is pushing Miles out of the way when a group of soldiers comes at them, weapons held up and at the ready. Miles hits a nearby wall, gritting his teeth when his entire body explodes with pain. His vision blurs momentarily, but he can see Peter fighting the soldiers again. He breathes deeply to steady himself, but has to quickly dodge when his spidey sense kicks to life. A soldier has one of the electrified staffs in one hand, swinging at where Miles had just been standing. He moves to swing at Miles again, and Miles gathers his own electricity in one of his hands, grabbing the staff and punching the soldier with his other hand, using just enough venom to send him shaking to the ground. 

Peter lands beside him a second later, glancing at the quivering soldier before motioning with a hand for Miles to continue following him. He does so, and they enter a nearby door, revealing another cell behind it. 

Miles let's put a breath of relief when he spots Phin inside, and he runs to her, catching her in a hug just as she registers that it is him. She hugs him back tightly, glancing over his shoulder at Peter. 

“He's here,” she said with quiet awe, and Miles grins despite his pain. “He's really here.” 

“Well of course,” Peter said, and Miles pulls away from Phin reluctantly. He looks to his mentor, finally feeling more at ease than he has in the past few days. Sure, they still hadn't escaped, but even just being in Peter’s presence puts Miles at ease. He knows with his mentor around almost nothing could get to him. “You were in danger. Now come on, let's get out of here before more soldiers-”

He cuts himself off unceremoniously as the largest group of soldiers Miles has seen since getting here swarmed into the room, circling and surrounding them. Miles unconsciously steps closer to Phin, and he can feel she'd done the same by the way their sides and arms brush together. Peter’s eyes narrow and he sighs, “Get here.” 

There's the sound of clapping a moment later, and the soldiers at the front of the cell split to allow Krieger to stride in, his grin still in place. Miles swallows heavily, shifting closer his weight onto the foot nearer to Peter now as he sets his eyes on his captor and torturer. The older Spider-Man’s eyes only narrow further, and his muscles bunch up, ready to launch at the enemies. 

“Ah, yes, finally! The original arrives as well,” Krieger said, sounding too self assured, too sure that he was still in control, even with Peter standing right there. “It is great to see you again, Spider-Man. I was wondering if you were coming, seeing as I have your… student.” 

Peter stares at Krieger, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and Miles understood the feeling perfectly well. Krieger was a work of his own, with the layers and layers of kind businessman he had in place to cover the cold and vile creature beneath it all. 

“You kidnap my student, torture him, and expect me to not come?” Peter asked incredulously. His voice is tight, with barely controlled anger, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides. “Which I don't understand. Why did you do all this to him? What were you wanting to gain?” 

Krieger grins in response, and splays his hands open in front of him. “Well money, of course,” he replied, and Miles can see Peter tense at the response. “You both just smell of bioengineering… and that smells like money, to me. So of course I just… I just had to find out what makes him tic. And you next, of course.” 

Peter laughs at that, and shakes his head. “You really think you're going to come out on top, don't you?” 

“Well of course, Spider-Man,” Krieger replied with a thoughtless shrug. “And when I do? I'm peeling your mask off just like I did Miles’s. Then we’ll see how the original works as well.” He grins sickeningly, and then claps his hands, and turns, exiting the room once more. “Take care of them- I'll send back up in a few minutes. Handle it until then.” 

As soon as Krieger has left them room, Peter is jumping into action, and Miles and Phin work together to keep the soldiers running at them at bay. He can see that she too is sluggish, covered in even more scrapes and bruises the last time that he had seen her. Her hair was cut shorter, too- no longer in a ponytail, seeing as there wasn't even enough to pull it back into one. One of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, and her lip was split open. She wasn't doing any better than he was. But, together, they could hold the soldiers off long enough for Peter to be able to swing by and help them. 

Finally, the room is cleared, and Miles and Phin lean against one another for support, both teens exhausted. Peter walks towards them, looking them both up and down for any new injuries. “Come on. Prowler says he's hacked into the mainframe. He’ll be able to control doors now. Maybe slow down the amount of soldiers we have to deal with,” he said, and Miles slowly nods in response. He squeezes Phin’s upper arm, and she smiles at him, and then they pull apart to follow Peter from the room. 

They make their way through the many, twisting halls, and pass through small and large rooms of all kinds. Miles looks around nervously, uncomfortable with not seeing any enemies for so long. He knew his uncle was handling the doors, trying to keep them from being swarmed, but he was still on edge. 

His spidey sense suddenly goes off, and by the way he sees Peter tensing, he knew that his was screaming at the same time. He has just enough time to push Phin to safety before the red, draining energy Roxxon had created surges through the ground and up into his body through his feet, causing him to yell. Instantly, his venom is drained from his body, and he's left swaying from side to side as he tries to catch his balance again.

Peter has already leapt forward to fight the soldiers, but Miles can tell that there are too many, with too advanced weapons for him to handle on his own. Grinding his teeth together painfully, Miles forces his body to work, to run forward and join his mentor in the fight. His body protests his every move, but he ignores it, twisting between soldiers and taking a good few out himself. 

But even helping Peter, there are too many soldiers. Peter is still holding his own, but he can see that he's getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies. And Miles is already getting tired, losing his upper hand on the soldiers. 

He can do nothing as a handful of the soldiers begin to hit him with their electrical rods. The electricity shocks him, hurts him, but maybe, maybe he could use this. His venom had already exploded before, taking out an entire room of soldiers. And sure it was taxing, sure it was tiring, but he needed to do something, or Peter was gonna be caught too. And he could not let that happen. 

He focuses on absorbing the electricity, converting it into his own and gathering it in his chest and shoulders and arms, eyes stinging as it runs through his veins. It was too much- he couldn't contain anymore of it. 

So, he lets it all out, of course, barely remembering to avoid hitting Phin or Peter with the huge Venom Burst. 

The venom explodes around him in a bright, orange and red web, spreading through the soldiers like they were connected by wires. One by one, they all fall over, bodies quivering with the venom now rushing through their systems. Miles falls to his knees, heaving for air as his entire body feels drained and cold, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. 

He looks up when someone crouches in front of him, and through his blurred vision he can see that it is Peter. The older Spider-Man’s masked eyes are wide as he stares at his downed student. 

“You've really improved that skill, haven't you, kid?” Peter said eventually, pure fascination in his voice. But it wasn't the same cruel and twisted fascination Krieger had. No, instead, it was true curiosity, an interest to find out his student’s powers and capabilities. “That was awesome.” 

“Wait… wait until you see me go invisible,” Miles said with a slight smirk, almost laughing when Peter gasps in surprise. 

“You can shock people and turn invisible?” Peter asked. “Man, I almost wish I was bitten by your spider.” 

Miles snorts, and then takes the hand Peter offers him. His mentor helps him to his feet, taking his weight when he needs to lean against him. His chin falls to his chest as he continues to pant, trying to calm his racing heart and mind. “S- sorry… need a moment… ‘is tiring…” he muttered. He spots Phin across the room, glancing out the door every now and then, keeping an eye out for more soldiers. 

“Take your time, kid, I got you,” Peter responded kindly. Miles takes a few more seconds to catch his breath, before he nods to Peter. The older Spider-Man hesitates before moving away from Miles to take the lead once more. 

He trusts Peter to find the way out, he just hopes it's near.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tws: more implied and referenced torture, vivisection, panic attacks and non-consensual drug usage. stay safe friends! 
> 
> thanks to everyone who has commented and left kudos. y'all are awesome.

They meet no other opposition and soon enough, Peter is punching down a poorly built brick wall, revealing a dark tunnel on the other side. “We would take the main exit, but Prowler said there are way more soldiers there. Think we're all too tired for another fight,” Peter said in explanation, when Phin looked at him questioningly. “Now let's get going.” 

Once they're in the tunnel, and make their way down it for a good while, Uncle Aaron appears in front of them. Miles nearly jumps out of his skin, still on edge after being held captive for so long- and he can see Phin tense up beside him- before he recognizes the Prowler’s suit and calms down. He doesn't miss the way Peter tenses in the slightest- which made sense. The Prowler had been one of his enemies for a long time. Aaron pulls Miles into a half hug instantly, squeezing him around his shoulders. 

“I was so worried about you, man,” Aaron said, his voice quivering quietly. He's keeping his voice down, trying to keep the moment between the two of them, but he could still feel Phin and Peter’s gazes burning into the back of his neck. Neither of them know the Prowler’s identity, after all, so this must be a strange sight. “I told you to be careful.” 

“I was, Unc,” Miles replied at the same volume, wanting to respect his uncle’s wishes of keeping his identity secret. Though, it was going to be difficult now, since Peter would ask Miles what this was about as soon as they were alone again. “But they found out about me and Phin’s meeting, anyway.” 

Phin seems to hear this, because she says, “Your friends with the Prowler? Is that how they knew about our meeting?” 

Miles's eyes widen and he pulls from the Prowler enough to turn and look at her, shaking his head. “No way! Unc- Prowler may have worked with Roxxon in the past, but there's no way he woulda sold us out-”

“So you lied to me again,” Phin snapped, interrupting him as her eyes grew dark with anger. Miles’s heart stops at her expression. She'd never looked so angrily at him before. “What else have you lied about? What else are you going to lie about?” 

“Phin, please, I didn't want to lie-” Miles began pleadingly, holding his hands up placatingly, but she shakes her head tightly. A moment later and his spider sense is screaming at him to move, and he grows beyond shocked when it's because Phin is tackling him to the ground, her face twisted in rage. He sees both Peter and Aaron moving to do something- he wasn't sure want- but he quickly shouts, “No! Don't hurt her!” Peter stops, and Miles can tell he's not happy doing this, but Aaron doesn't stop. Phin’s grip on him tightens. 

Phin gets close to his face, snarling. “Don't come near me again,” she hissed, and Miles can hardly keep eye contact with her. He feels horrible. He failed her once too many times, and it was all his fault. “Or else I'll kill you.”

She leaps off and away from him before Aaron could grab her, throws a glare at him and Peter, and then runs down the subway tunnel. He takes Aaron’s hand as soon as he's offered it, allowing his uncle to help him to his feet. A knot is in his throat. 

“You okay, kid?” Peter asked, and they both know it's a stupid question. He shakes his head, swallowing heavily with his eyes shut tightly. 

“I just wanna see my Mamí.” He knows he sounds like a child, but he has missed her so so much. He just wants to see her again. 

Peter exchanges a glance with Aaron, who shakes his head minutely. They seem to come to an agreement, even though they've been enemies for a long time. Peter steps closer to Miles and rests a hand on his shoulder. 

“It's probably for the best that you don't go home for a little longer,” he said slowly, gently trying to lay this out for him. Miles lowers his head, knowing Peter was right, but still hating it. “They're probably going to try and capture you again- you're going to need to lay low for a while.” 

“You can stay with me,” Aaron says suddenly, and Peter’s gaze snaps towards the Prowler, eyes narrowed unsurely. 

“I know you helped me free him, but I'm not so sure about letting him stay with you. You are still a criminal,” Peter pointed out, and the Prowler sighs with a shake of his. He reaches a hand up, hesitating for just a moment before pressing the button that pulls his mask back and away. Peter’s eyes widen noticeably on the mask. 

“Look, man, I know we've had our… disagreements,” Aaron said carefully, and moved to be standing behind Miles. He rests his hands on his shoulders, Peter pulling his back. “But he's my family. And I ain't gonna let anything happen to my family.”

Peter is silent for a few seconds, and looks to Miles. Miles nods his confirmation to his mentor, eyelids drooping with his exhaustion. Peter sighs heavily, and jerkily nods. “Okay. But I want to see where he’ll be staying,” he said. 

“I understand you're a hero and want to help my nephew,” Aaron said, crossing his arms over his chest. “But it would probably be for the best that only I know where he is. The less people who know, the better. And because I'm his family, only Rio and I will know where he is.” Miles lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding when his mother is mentioned, shoulders sagging in relief. Peter fidgets nervously with his hands, clearly not sure if he should agree with this. Miles could see his uncle’s point, but he also was also growing nervous at the thought of not being able to see his mentor. Peter was one of the only people that could make Miles feel truly safe- the other person being his mother. Maybe it's because he's spent so much time with him the past year, going through dangerous situations as Spider-Man with him, but anyway he wanted his mentor to still be near. 

“He should know, too,” he said, finally finding his voice again. Both men’s eyes dart to him, and Aaron opens his mouth to probably deny the idea, but he continues, “Please, Unc. Please.” 

Aaron must see something- maybe the desperation in Miles’s eyes- because he lets out a rough sigh and finally reluctantly nods. “Fine. I guess he could help keep it safe,” he begrudgingly said in agreement, and Peter visibly relaxes. “Now let's get out of here. Roxxon could catch up any second.” 

Peter offers Miles a pair of filled web canisters and he gratefully takes them, having run out of web fluid days ago. They quickly leave the tunnel, and Miles is nearly blinded by the brightness of the sun, which he hadn't seen in at least a week. He can feel the cold air biting the skin of his face, and he once more misses his mask greatly. He feels naked without it, especially now that they were in public again. Not that it mattered too much- he was sure Krieger would eventually somehow spread his identity around like wildfire. 

Prowler leaps into the air with a grappling hook and both spiders quickly follow suit, gliding through the air with their webs. Miles is still exhausted, but he's missed the freedom of web slinging, so he swings, invigorated, flipping and dashing with great pleasure. Peter stays near him, probably to catch him should he suddenly pass out, and they both follow the Prowler through the streets of New York City. 

They eventually make it to the subway station, the one Miles had met his uncle again, and Aaron leads them to a hidden trap door. He opens it, letting the spiders in first, before he hops in as well. 

The place they land in is obviously where Aaron had been staying. It is lived in- with a bed tucked into one corner and rows of vinyls and different instruments lining the walls. Miles takes it in slowly, before he's being led to the bed by his uncle. As he approached it, his limbs became heavier, his eyelids falling over his eyes. He all but flops on it as soon as his knees hits its edge, and he's out like a lightbulb as soon as his head hits the pillows. 

Darkness welcomes him. 

He's awoken a while later to hushed voices, one he hasn't heard for too long. His eyes snap open, and they instantly dart on his mother’s face. She notices his conscious state, eyes widening with tears as she instantly rushes to his side. He sits up, meeting her embrace as she throws her arms around his neck, holding him close. 

“Oh, mi’jo!” she cried, burying her face in his neck. He starts crying as well, unable to hold it back around his mother. He holds her tightly, and she holds him just as tight. “I was so scared! ¿Tu donde estás?” 

Miles shakes his head at her question, and she doesn't press, instead she runs a hand down the back of his head, lightly scratching his skin. He shuts his eyes at the contact, starved for it after a week of nothing but pain caused through contact. This gentle cradle from his mother was what he currently needed. 

He spots Peter and Aaron watching from the other side of the room, though he could tell they were both talking to one another quietly. About what, Miles didn't know, but he had a feeling it was somehow about him. 

“Te amo, Mamí,” Miles said quietly, and his mom just squeezes him tighter. 

“Te amo, mi’jo,” she whispered back, and presses a kiss to his temple. 

As she pulls back from his slowly, he could now feel that all of his wounds from Roxxon are stinging from different kinds of disinfectants, and that they are now wrapped tightly in bandages. He has many wounds currently- from his stomach to his sides, arms and legs, he was basically covered in one way or another. Krieger had really done a number on him. 

“I am going to kill Krieger myself,” Rio mumbles under her breath, her face screwed up in her anger. Miles can't stop himself from smiling then, warmed by his mother’s undying love for him. “How dare he hurt my boy.” 

“Don't worry, Rio,” Aaron said, his hands clenching tightly at his sides. “I'll be the one fixing all of this.” 

Rio glances at her estranged brother-in-law, and then at Spider-Man. She points an accusatory finger at him. “And you! Where were you when Miles needed help? I thought that if you were going to train him in something so dangerous you'd be there to help him!” she exclaimed, and Miles can feel his face heating up in embarrassment now. He loved his mom, but he also didn't want her yelling at his mentor/older brother figure. He could already tell Peter was feeling guilty, and now with his mother accusing him of not being there- which was technically true, but Miles had agreed to it- his shoulders were sagging, masked eyes squinting in shame. 

“Mamí!” Miles exclaimed, grabbing one of her hands to try and calm him. “Please do not blame-”

“No, Miles, he is supposedly your mentor, or you  
teacher or whatever!” she continued, not backing down. Once she made her mind up on something, it was really hard to convince her otherwise. “He should have been there to protect you.”

“He usually is!” Miles argued. He was just as stubborn as his mom, so it was hard to get him to back down as well. “But he was outta town and we both agreed I could keep the city safe-”

“Dios mi-”

“He’s right, Mrs. Morales,” Peter said, speaking up so suddenly his mom’s mouth snaps shut. Miles’s eyes widen at his mentor’s words, and he frowns at the older spider. “I knew it was time for Miles to protect the city on his own, and I still believe my earlier judgment. I'm sure that even if I hadn't returned, he would have figured things out on his own. I have complete faith and trust in your son’s abilities.” 

Rio is shocked into silence by Peter’s words, and Miles feels much the same way. He searches for his mentor’s eyes, to try and see if that was the truth, and Peter nods at him, giving him a thumbs up as if that would help him with this much needed to hear phrase. His mentor- his childhood hero(who was still basically his hero) believed in him. Trusted him and his abilities. That was almost enough to make Miles break down into tears again, but he forces himself to hold them back. 

“He is a strong dude, Rio,” Aaron adds in, arms crossed across his chest. “Though, he could definitely still use help. Especially right now. I'd have rather you never left him in the first place.”

Peter shakes his head. “You two don't seem to fully understand what I'm saying,” he said earnestly. “Miles is fully capable on his own. Everyone makes a mistake every now and then. It's common, even in the superhero world.” 

“But mistakes in the ‘superhero’ world are deadly,” Aaron snapped, glaring daggers at Peter. Peter returns the state with his own eyes narrowed, not backing down. “You shouldn't have even wrapped him up in all this mess. What kind of responsible adult puts a child at risk?”

“Would you have rather I just stood by and let Miles be confused with his newfound powers?” Peter demanded. “I couldn't not help him- he's like me, of course I had to show him the ropes.”

“Or, he could have gotten help from his from his actual family,” Aaron said, and Peter tenses. 

“Oh, like you, the uncle who wasn't in his life because you were too busy being a criminal?” Peter shot back, and Aaron is tensed up as well. He makes a move as though he was about to punch Spider-Man in the face. 

“Oh I’ve had it with you-” 

“Would you two stop it!” Rio shouted, and both men stop to look at her. Peter had been crouching, prepared to dodge any attack Aaron threw at him. Miles draws a deep breath through his nose, stressed beyond belief due to the fact he was being hunted down by a mad man, and now his two father like figures were nearly fighting over him. “We don't need in fighting when we're supposed to be protecting Miles. You can have whatever showdown you want outside, far from here, or you could pull your head out of your asses and focus! ¡Dios mios!”

Aaron throws one last glare at Peter before he walks to the opposite side of the room. Peter glares after him as well, before returning his gaze to Rio. 

“I'm sorry about that, Mrs. Morales,” he said apologetically. “But I promise I'll keep your son safe with all of my ability, now.” 

She nods sharply. “You’d better,” she said. Miles lets out an exasperated sigh. The room falls silent, until Miles has to know, until he has to ask. 

“What did he do to me?” he asks quietly, nearly too quietly for anyone to hear. But, the room was silent, so his small words cut through it like a knife. His mother avoids his eye contact, drawing in a sharp breath. His uncle shifts uncomfortably from the other side of the room, and Peter flinches as though he'd been struck by his voice alone. He chuckles, but there's no real amusement behind it. “That bad, huh?” 

Peter looks to his mom, who nods her head, her hand gripping Miles’s tightly. “Yeah, it wasn't good, bud,” Peter said. And he meant the last word as a nickname. As a kind thing to call Miles, not even really realizing what he'd just said. But as soon as Miles hears that last word leave Peter’s mouth, he is back at Roxxon, back with Krieger talking to him as he cuts him open with a gleeful glint in his eyes. He was back on the table, eyes drooping, exhaustion gnawing on his limbs, darkness beckoning to him even as Krieger and his scientists sliced into his stomach, his arms and legs, his chest. The bright light hovering above his eyes wasn't near enough to blind him, and he could see everything they were doing to him. They were cutting him open, pulling his skin and muscle and bones apart and it hurt and he needed to scream. 

He must have started to scream, because suddenly hands were grabbing at him from all directions, and he couldn't stop himself from panicking. They were gonna drug him again- they were gonna strap him down- they were going to slice him open like he was dead and he couldn't take it again-

Somehow, he ends up being able to knock the soldiers and scientists away, somehow managing to leap from the table and onto the ceiling. Even though he knows it won't do him much good, he camouflages himself, because at least he’ll get some kind of head start before they force him to be visible again. He begins to move in the first direction he's facing in, not even caring where he was going as long as he got away 

But then something is wrapping around his arms and legs, and he screams again, pleading and begging for them to release him, to let him go home, to let him see his mamí again. His vision blurs with his tears, and he lowers his head, not ready to once again face the horrors Krieger has planned out for him. 

Arms wrapping around him, that pull him close to someone’s body finally snaps him out of the panicked haze he'd been in, and another pair joining the others helps his vision readjust. Oh. He wasn't back at Roxxon. He wasn't back in one of Krieger’s labs. He was… at Aaron’s place. And he was currently being hugged tightly by both his mom and Peter, his mom holding him close to her chest with Peter angling to embrace him from the other side. Aaron is standing just behind Rio, heavy concern lighting his eyes. 

Miles swallows thickly, realizing he'd probably just freaked out like he was a psychopath, and probably freaked the three adults with him to no end by his episode. His face heats up, but he buries his face in his mother’s chest anyway, breathing in her and his mentor’s scent in order to further calm himself down. Rio is whispering sweet nothings in his ear, scratching the back of his head gently. 

“I'm- I'm okay now,” he stammered, his tone sluggish. Rio angles back slightly to get a good look at him, frowning down at him with worry. He swallows again. “Sorry.” 

“Don't be sorry, mi’jo,” she reprimands, and he nods shakily. She offers him a small and light smile. “Now, can you tell me what triggered you?” 

He nods again, and glances at Peter as the older spider slowly draws away. “It- P- Spider-Man said something,” he stuttered, and Peter looked back at him quickly, as though he was struck once again. No doubt he was feeling guilty for being the one to set an episode off. “...He- it was.. ‘bud’. Kri- he called me that. And when I heard you say it I- I was back there.” 

Peter lowers his head. “I am so sorry, Miles,” he said, guilt laden in his tone. “I won't say it again.” 

“It wasn't your fault,” he said quickly. “You didn't know. Please don't blame yourself.” 

The older spider doesn't say anything to that, but nods instead. “You got it, kid,” he said gently. 

Miles buries his face back into his mother’s chest, eyes slowly closing. He listens to his mother’s heart beat, willing his own heart to follow its calming pattern. Pretty soon, he was asleep again, falling into light dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(
> 
> me: give miles a break!  
> also me: writes this

**Author's Note:**

> someone free him. 
> 
> also why aren't there more fics for this game yet?? and why aren't there more miles fics in general??? i am STARVED
> 
> adding to my miles morales fanfiction collection for the first time in a year 😗


End file.
